Combined circulating and ventilating fan assembly



Sept. 20, 1938. M. P. YOUKER COMBINED CIRCULATING AND VENTILTING FAN ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 17, 1936 INVENTOR.,

Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES COIVIBINED CIRCULATING AND VENTILAT- ING FAN ASSEMBLY Malcolm P. Youker, Bartlesville, Okla. Application August 17, 1936, Serial No. 96,405

1 Claim.

My new invention pertains to the ventilation of inhabited quarters and to the circulation oi" air within such quarters.

An object of my invention is to provide a fan assembly which may be mounted in the ceiling of a room and may be utilized either to circulate air within the room or to induce air to enter the room from the outside atmosphere and deliver the same from the room through the attic over the room, thus ventilating both the room and the attic.

My new invention will be following specification taken in connection the attached drawing in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a vertical cross-section taken through the center of the fan assembly.

Figure 2 illustrates a plan View of the fan assembly.

Figure 3 illustrates the installation of the fan assembly, shown in a vertical cross-section taken through a room and superimposed attic.

Referring to the drawing, a short tube I of large diameter, which is formed from a sheet of metal, is mounted in an aperture in the ceiling 2 of a room 3. A horizontal supporting bar 4 is attached to tube I and disposed along a diameter of tube I. Louvers 5, which are formed from circular rings of sheet metal, are attached to and supported by bar 4. A motor 6 is attached to and. supported by bar 4 in a vertical position, and to the shaft of this motor, which extends vertically dcwnward, is attached a fan 1 of the propeller type, the fan 'I being in a horizontal position. A trap door 8 is hinged to tube I and is adapted to completely close the opening through tube I when in a lowered and horizontal position. When trap door 8 is in a vertical or open position, open and free communication through tube I between the atmosphere of the room and the attic is established. A cord 9, which is attached to trap door 8, leads over a system of pulleys o and is utilized to open or close trap door 8. The motor 6 is controlled by any suitable starting or stopping switch, and the motor and switch are preferably of such construotion that the motor may be operated in either direction.

In Figure 3, the fan assembly is shown mounted in the ceiling of room 3 over which is superimposed attic H. Louvers z are provided to afford open communication between the outside atmosphere and the atmosphere in the attic l I.

The trap door 8 may be maintained in a closed position and the fan 1, being mounted at some little distance' below the ceiling, may be rotated in either direction and air may be delivered from understood from the with the fan either against the ceiling of the room or toward the floor of the room, thus causing rapid movement of the air contained in the room.

The trap door 9 may be opened, while at the same time one or both of the windows !3 are maintained in an open position, and the fan 'I may be rotated in the proper direction to draw air from the outside atmosphere into the room through windows [3 and discharge air from the room through the tube I, and thence through the attic ll, and thence through the openings between louvers l2 into the outside atmosphere.

I have used twenty-four (24") inch fans mounted from six to ten inches below the ceiling and have thus obtained excellent results both in ventilation of the room and in circulation of air within the room.

The fan assembly constitutes both a conventional ceiling fan and a ventilating fan and may be used as either.

I am, of course, well aware that both ceiling fans and ventilating fans are in common use and understand that there is no novelty in a fan assembly which provides either ventilation or inside circulation. The novelty in my invention consists in the fact that the fan assembly may be alternately utilized to either ventilate or to cause inside circulation of air. I will ordinarily maintain the trap door 8 in a closed position during the day time and utilize the fan 'I during that time to circulate air within the room 3 and will, as soon as the sun has gone down and the outside atmosphere has become cooler than the atmosphere within the room 3, open the trap door 8 and utilize the fan 'I to draw comparatively cool air from the outside atmosphere through windows |3 and through the room 3 and to deliver such air through attic l I and thence through openings between louvers !2 into the atmosphere.

While I have explained in detail one form of my new fan assembly, I do not propose to be limited by these details but rather propose to claim all novelty which is inherent in my new fan assembly and the disposition of the same within inhabited quarters.

I may install my new fan assembly in the side wall of the room or in one of the windows rather than in the ceiling, the fan being in all cases within the room, and in such case air will be delivered from the room through the side wall of the room directly to the atmosphere rather than through the attic to the atmosphere.

I claim:

A fan assembly adapted to be installed in the ceiling of a room, the walls of which room are provided with air intake openings, said fan assembly comprising a short casing nested in an opening in said oeiling and forming an air discharge condut from the room, an electric motor supported substantially within said casing, a fan mounted on and driven by said motor, said fan being disposed in a plane below said casing within said room, a closure for said air discharge Conduit, and means located within said room for operating said closure, whereby when said closure 's in closed position, the operation of said fan will cause air to be drawn upwardly through the fan, deflected along the ceiling and uniformly circulated throughout said room, and when said closure is in open position, the air will be discharged from the room through said Conduit.

MALCOLM P. YOUKER. 

